An interdisciplinary research project led by University of Illinois faculty members Adrian Burgos Jr. (history), Daniel Eck (statistics), Christopher Kinson (statistics), and Shen Yan (statistics) was recently featured in the New York Times Science section article, “Bonds Beats the Babe! Statistical Model Crowns a New ‘Greatest’ in Baseball.”
The study, published in The Annals of Applied Statistics, introduces a comprehensive set of era-adjusted statistics for Major League Baseball players spanning 1871–2024. By accounting for differences across baseball’s long history, the model provides a new lens through which to evaluate and compare player performance across eras.
The research team has also developed a companion website where fans, scholars, and analysts can access all-time player rankings, detailed statistics, and additional content related to the project.
Learn more and explore the data here!